Obituary of Stephen J. Jones

Stephen Jeffries Jones, Head Groundskeeper of KaramoorFarm, Dies at 55 

Stephen J. Jones, a long time and well-loved landscape professional in the Philadelphia area, died from pancreatic cancer on May 2, 2024 surrounded by family and friends in his Blue Bell home. Steve left a legacy of devoted work on the land, sharp wit, and generous spirit across a large swath of Montgomery County, Pa for over 35 years.  

At his death, Steve held the position of Head Groundskeeper at Karamoor Farm, the family property and winery of Athena and Nicholas Karabots, where he managed a crew of 12 and worked for a decade. 

Steve graduated from Wissahickon High School in 1987, where he played varsity lacrosse. Many of his friends from WHS continued to be lifelong compatriots. Leaving Lynchburg University in Virginia after a few semesters of indulging in more beer than books, Steve turned his life toward the outdoors and the land in his hometown turf. He never left. He married Patricia“Trish” Coutts of Fort Washington, Pa in 1996 and had three sons, Jack, Alex, and Charles, all of whom also attended Wissahickon. 

He started his career as a greenskeeper at Oak Terrace Country Club and then its successor club of Talamore Golf Club in Ambler. He became Superintendent of Worcester Golf Club, a new golf course at the time. He launched his own landscaping business, Turf Solutions, then transitioned into a lead salesman at Keystone Gardens. He served hundreds of residential clients in the eastern Montgomery country, Main Line, and the Philadelphia region. 

Steve was an avid outdoorsman. He worked for 22 years part time at Spring Mountain as a snowmaker, groomer, and midnight snowmobiler. He loved to golf, ski, hike, and fish with his family and friends and loved the mountains of Vermont. He was equally in love with the ocean and vacationed yearly at the Jersey Shore, where he originally spent summers pumping gas or making saltwater taffy at Shriver’s on the Ocean City boardwalk. In later years, he became an accomplished sand art sculptor. 

A lifelong Philly sports fan, Steve attended both the 2008 Phillies and the 2018 Eagles parades in person after countless years of grumbling at the TV for bad plays and poor coaching decisions. He coached all of his sons’ baseball teams in the Ambler Little League. 

In addition to Trish, Jack, Alex, and Charlie, Steve is survived by his parents, Joan and Robert Jones of Worcester, Pa and his two brothers, Kendall Jones of Cherry Hill, NJ and Christopher Jones of Watertown, Ma. 

Donations. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the pancreatic cancer Pennsylvania-based non-profit A Love for Life, an organization that sends 100% of its donations to pancreatic cancer research at the University of Pennsylvania. https://www.aloveforlife.us/

Family Visitation & Services. The family will receive friends and family and hold a Celebration of Life Service: 

When:

Date: ​​​​​​Thursday, June 6, 2024 

Visitation: ​​​​12:00 to 1:00 p.m. 

Celebration of Life Service​ ​​1:00 p.m.

Where:
Karamoor Estate Vineyard & Winery
6118 Butler Pike
Blue Bell, PA 19422